Nairobi News

HustleNews

KRA impounds posh cars in Nairobi in tax swoop


Kenya Revenue Authority officials on Wednesday impounded several luxury vehicles whose duties had not been paid or which had questionable ownership documents.

Although the taxman had blacklisted 124 vehicles on Saturday, the operation revealed that there were more vehicles with tax issues or without the requisite importation documents.

Officers from the Investigations and Enforcement Department of KRA together with National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) officials visited several car bazaars in Nairobi.

ARMOURED VEHICLE

At Valley Road Motors, the team seized at least four vehicles, among them an armoured Toyota Landcruiser VX.

A KRA official said the vehicle, whose registration number is KCA 515P, had been registered twice before.

According to papers provided by the proprietor, Mr Francis Ng’ang’a Mundia, the vehicle was imported by Ganatra Plant and Equipment Ltd on September 27, 2014 and the duty paid was indicated as Sh1.399 million.

A Toyota Prado that had been registered as 100 UN 12K was also put on display at the yard with the number plates removed.

YET TO PAY DUTY

Mr Mundia, however told the officials that they were yet to pay the Sh872,701 duty.

They also found a Range Rover, KBY 346U, which was in the blacklist.

The vehicle, which had its front number plate removed and was up for sale, has been in the country since 2014 and is said to have been under-valued and a lower duty paid for it.

At Prestige World Motors on Ngong Road, more vehicles were seized.

Other vehicles had also been spotted either on the roads or at various car yards.

At least 15 vehicles, including a white Range Rover, were spotted on the roads.

Owners of the vehicles listed or seized are expected to present them and original ownership, transfer and importation documents to the KRA Commissioner of Investigations and Enforcement at Railway Club from 11am.

TAX EVASION

KRA has also been liaising with Interpol, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Regional Intelligence Liaison Office and other investigation agencies to smash a tax evasion ring involving cartels from the United Kingdom and Uganda.

In March, KRA officials impounded luxury cars imported from Britain disguised as household goods.